Chapter 102
A few days later, after picking up her two children, Xiuyu went to the market to buy a piece of meat and took the children to a shop.
Previously, because of Wen Chuanzong's matter, his family had some unpleasantness with the old couple, but these unpleasant things are over now, and the family will definitely have to rely on the third son in the future.
Xiuyu has made up her mind that she wants to maintain good relations with her family until her two sons become successful.
Her two children were the oldest of the next generation in the Wen family, especially the eldest son, who was already ten years old. Like his father, the child could talk, and Old Man Wen and Mrs. Liu were very fond of this grandson.
"Grandpa and Grandma, this is meat that my brother and I specially picked out at the market. Mom bought it for us. You can stew it and eat it later."
The couple didn't give Xiuyu a warm welcome, but they were still very happy to see their grandson.
"Old woman, go get some meat buns for the child."
Old Man Wen took the meat and said with a smile.
Xiuyu brought her two children very frequently this year, and she never came empty-handed. She always had a smile on her face and was very respectful, which was impossible before.
As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face. Over time, even though he didn't like it, Old Man Wen didn't say anything to her, at least he still gave her face.
"How's Chuanzong doing with his studies lately?"
As if remembering something, Old Man Wen walked to the counter, unlocked it with his key, and took out the set of notes that Wen Xiaowu had brought.
“It’s good. My husband has been working hard.”
"That's good. These are the notes that the third brother gave to the fifth brother. Now that he has finished reading them, you should take them to Chuanzong and let him take a good look at them so that he can also make it onto the list in the future and bring honor to the family."
Wen Chuanzong wasn't stupid; he was quite intelligent as a child, and his teachers always praised him. That's why his father supported him so wholeheartedly back then.
Originally, they thought that by relying on him, they could become successful and change their family's life and destiny. However, Wen Chuanzong turned out to be a complete disappointment. He became lazy and had ulterior motives, even thinking of abandoning his brothers before he became successful.
In contrast, the third son started school later than him, but he passed every exam on his first try, which shows how diligent and hardworking he was.
Old Man Wen has many sons, and he knows that it's impossible to treat them all equally. There will always be sons he likes and sons he doesn't. As the head of the family, whoever can make his family live a good life is his good son.
Xiuyu nodded and took the notebook. The notebook looked quite new. She couldn't read, but thinking of her two sons and that heartless Wen Chuanzong, she sneered inwardly. Good things shouldn't be given to him directly.
"Master, the teacher said that Third Uncle is the most outstanding scholar in our county and will definitely become a high-ranking official in the future. This notebook must be very good."
The youngest son's words further solidified Xiuyu's resolve.
She still harbored some resentment towards Wen Chuanzong. That heartless man! She thought about how Wen Shi was about to become an official, yet he hadn't taken a concubine. Wen Chuanzong already had two sons, and he even took a younger one. Every time she thought about this, she felt very angry.
On her way home, she gave her two sons some more careful instructions.
"Don't tell your father about the notes yet. You two should look at them first, and it's best to make a copy and keep it. Give it to him later. Eldest son, you must study hard. Your mother is counting on you for the future. You'll have to take an exam in a couple of years, so you must do well. If you do well and become successful, you can find a rich man in the city to marry."
Seeing her eldest son nod seriously, Xiuyu smiled.
"Make two copies, and keep one for your younger brother as well. Remember, whatever you do, don't tell your father yet."
“Mother, we know. Don’t worry. Father only cares about the younger one now and doesn’t like us. If we become successful in the future, we will only take care of you.”
"well."
Xiuyu smiled after she finished speaking.
As autumn approached and the weather gradually cooled down, after the autumn harvest, Wen Shi and Ying Xiang took some time to visit Ping An Village again. This time it was for building a house, and it was time. The two went directly to the old man's house.
The old man naturally remembered the two of them and quickly asked his family to entertain them.
“This is my second son. He is the most capable. If you need anything, just tell him.”
Wen Shi glanced at the old man's second son, who looked very capable, tall and thin. He nodded, then took out a roll of Xuan paper from his pocket and laid it directly on the table. Inside were his previous sketches.
He has already taken care of the layout and everything; all they need to do is build according to it.
"No problem, don't worry, it will take about three months if things go smoothly."
The old man's second son looked at the sketch and patted his chest confidently.
"But do you have any specific requirements for the bricks and tiles? What style do you want?"
Outside of the busy farming season, he mostly made money by building houses for others. He was very skilled at it and wasn't too particular about the details. After all, it was just a small amount of money, so he didn't care about appearances; as long as the house was sturdy, that was enough.
"Ordinary black bricks and tiles will do, but the wall must be built high."
Two acres of land is quite a lot to build a house. Wen Shi also reserved half an acre of land for vegetable gardens in the backyard. Of course, it's impossible to grow vegetables on all of them; pigs and chickens also need to be raised.
“My dad already told me that since you’re here, we can start construction tomorrow. These things are available in the nearby towns. We can go buy them now and have them delivered to my yard.”
The hardest part of building a house is laying the foundation, but there's no other way to ensure the house's stability. Wen Shi's sketch was very simple, but it clearly stated the specific requirements: the front and back yards had to be separate, and a small garden had to be built at the entrance to the front hall.
The main house must be built in the very center, and this room is also the most spacious; the others can be smaller.
The place is not small, but if too many courtyards are built to separate it, it will inevitably require a lot of bricks and tiles. There is no need for that right now. The houses are somewhat scattered, and Wen Shi has naturally taken that into consideration.
After the old man's second son finished speaking, he glanced at Wen Shi.
"Then let's go."
Seeing how decisive and efficient Wen Shi was, he had a good impression of him. His family owned an oxcart, so he could ride in it directly.
On the way, he asked a few questions.
Wen Shi and Ying Xiang were dressed respectably, but they did not appear to be from a wealthy family. Otherwise, their house would not have been built in a village some distance from the capital. Even if there weren't many houses in the city, one could always find one if one was willing to spend the money.
Living in Beijing but choosing to build a house here means one must be short of money.
Upon learning that Wen Shi had come from an imperial examination, his attitude became even more respectful. After all, the person in front of him looked young, and who knows what the future held? It was always good to make a good connection.
When you arrive at the destination, start selecting items by smelling them. They don't need to be very pretty; just sturdy is fine.
Yingxiang followed along without saying much, showing no interest in the matter. She knew she wouldn't be staying there in the future, only visiting during holidays, which was unavoidable.
After selecting their goods, Wen Shi paid for them, and the shopkeeper immediately agreed to deliver them on time. He had some stock, but not much, so he could only speed up the firing process, but it certainly wouldn't affect their house-building progress. The most important thing at the beginning was laying the foundation.
Unlike modern houses which require cement, ancient houses were built using fired bricks. Those who could afford bricks were considered relatively well-off. In poorer areas, houses were mostly thatched or made of stone.
The purchase was quite expensive; with the roof tiles included, it cost nearly fifty taels of silver, which was the largest expense.
After finalizing the arrangements, the couple prepared to return to the city. They didn't need to worry about things here for the time being; they could check on the progress later when they had some free time.
"Wife, this is great. We just need to wait for the house to be built and have the carpenter make the furniture. If I have to leave the capital in a few years due to some transfer, they won't follow me."
On the way back to the city, Wen Shi suddenly said this, and Ying Xiang stared straight at him.
"The village is in a good location; there are towns nearby, and it's close to the capital."
Wen Shi isn't the kind of person who can let bygones be bygones. He won't hold grudges over many things that have passed, otherwise he'd seem petty. But if you ask him to wholeheartedly dedicate himself to his family right now, like Yang Xun, working tirelessly without complaint, he simply can't do it.
Firstly, he had never received such great kindness from his family.
Secondly, he is already married and has his own family and children. He doesn't say much, but he always prioritizes his wife and children.
Unconditional indulgence of family members is not a good thing.
Creating distance from the beginning won't do him any harm in the future.
"Husband, I think it's nice too, but will my parents be willing to live here?"
Yingxiang was a little worried about this. Their place was small, with three rooms, but if the two elders insisted, they would still have to clean out one room.
She doesn't plan to have children; one is enough. She doesn't have that much wealth for her children to inherit.
Liu is not afraid of her mother-in-law. She just deals with whatever comes her way. But living together inevitably leads to conflicts, which can affect her mood. There's a reason why nothing has happened for so many years: the distance between them is far enough that they haven't lived together.
She can't not bring it right now, but she has to tell Wen Shi in advance.
"Don't worry, it won't."
Wen Shi was quite certain about this.
"But we still need to set aside a room at home; we definitely need to make it look like this at the beginning."
Wen Shi glanced at his wife, took her hand, and explained.
“Mother likes to enjoy herself, so it’s unlikely that she will stay with us. We both have things to do, and the children have to go to school. There’s no one to take care of her. Even if she wants to stay for a few days at first, she will leave soon.”
"She can't possibly stay home and do the laundry, cook, and serve us."
Yingxiang wasn't afraid of Liu Shi. Upon hearing this, she smiled and realized that it was true; she had almost forgotten about that.
Liu has become quite plump from eating too much and doesn't do anything at the shop. When she went home before, Yuqin and Ma had both mentioned it to her, both openly and subtly.
She was getting old, and her sons were growing up. Old Man Wen didn't say much to her. Years ago, she had sacrificed a lot for the family, so the younger generation couldn't directly criticize her.
Her life is still quite comfortable. Although she suffered a bit before, her health is gradually improving.
Yingxiang's mind worked quickly. She thought of something and sat down next to Wenshi.
"My husband, you've thought of everything so thoroughly."
He didn't speak when he heard this, but glanced at his wife, which was taken as tacit agreement.
Of course, he was also very grateful to his wife, who had always supported him and never expressed any opposition, especially in terms of family matters.
Take this land purchase and house construction as an example. She didn't say a single word against him; she just did whatever he said.
The journey has not been as easy as it seems, but fortunately they have supported each other and worked hard together, which has led to their current life where they have no worries about food and clothing.
He initially thought that he could rent a small courtyard near his current residence, so that he wouldn't live with his family and could still settle them in without any problems.
However, this would have a major drawback: the prosperity and wealth of the capital city were beyond their comprehension. Furthermore, it is easy to invite a god but difficult to send him away, and with their parents still alive, it was impossible to separate the family.
He brought all his brothers to the capital; they would surely want more in the future.
He doesn't have the ability to settle everyone down. They will definitely resent him when they leave. It's human nature. In the end, it might even involve Yingxiang and the child.
Although his family didn't fully support him, he wasn't born of thin air.
He can bring them out, but he can't help them too much, and he certainly can't let them become too demanding, otherwise it won't do him any good.
Wen Shi had considered everything very thoroughly. He could easily give up the house he had built now and leave it to his brothers to divide equally among them.
This way, he can repay the kindness of his parents in raising him. If his brothers are capable of buying property in the capital after they come here, he will certainly not stop them. If they are not capable, at least they will have a place to eat and stay, so they won't starve.
He has a wife and children, and looking ahead, his children will also need to get married in the future. Changing the family's status means spending more money. This is not the countryside where a few taels of silver can buy a wife.
He also needs to make a living, and he wants to build a house in the future. He also wants to leave more things for his child and hopes that his life will be better than it is now. Strict education is one aspect, but a person's efforts are also limited. Take him for example, and look at Hu Yong'an.
He wasn't sure if he would be able to stay in the capital and be transferred smoothly. Perhaps he would be sent to a post outside the capital in a few years, and when he would return was also unknown.
Solving the family problem in one go is the best approach, because you have to know that greed is insatiable.
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